Orange County’s public library system will offer one free book to children up to 18 this June, while supplies last, as part of the library system’s 2026 summer reading challenge.
Children, teenagers or parents of a toddler with a library card can pick up a summer reading challenge booklet and a free book of their choosing at any Orange County Library System location, beginning June 1. The free book program is made possible thanks to a “generous” donation by the Friends of the Orange County Library System, according to a OCLS news release. The nonprofit serves as a fundraising arm independent of the library system itself.
“For the past couple of years, they have donated money for the library to purchase books so that every child who signs up for our Summer Reading Challenge gets a free book to take home,” a library spokesperson told Orlando Weekly. “It’s a new book — not one from the used bookstore.”
For some kids, receiving a book may be an incentive to read, the spokesperson explained. For others, “it may be the first time they ever have a book of their own that they can keep.” There are a variety of titles that the library’s Youth Services library staff will select, and kids and their parents can pick a book from the selection offered.
The goal is to promote reading habits, and associated benefits of reading, among kids in the community — in a fun way of course. “Our summer reading challenge is designed to support lifelong learning and curiosity by focusing on building a daily reading habit,” OCLS shared in a news release. “Reading daily for just a few minutes a day boosts language, focus and empathy, and children who see adults enjoying reading are more likely to become readers themselves.”
How to participate
Participants can get started on their reading challenge at any Orange County library location, beginning June 1. Just pick up a reading challenge tracker and a booklet with instructions, and ask a staff member about getting your free book (if you or your child is under age 18).
Early learners aged 5 and younger can participate in the 30-day reading challenge by talking, singing, playing, reading or writing each day and tracking that progress through a paper tracker provided by the library system. Children aged 6 to 18 can participate by reading any book of their choosing and similarly tracking their progress.
Children and adults who track their 30 days of reading this June and complete the library’s reading challenge can also enter for a chance to win prizes, come July. Yes, adults can participate in the reading challenge, too, although the free book offer is for children only.
According to a library spokesperson, children who complete their 30-day reading challenge may pick up a “goody bag” in July, as a prize for completion, containing small items such as crayons, fidget spinners and earbuds.
Children who complete the challenge may also enter the Youth Grand Prize Giveaway (offering bigger prizes such as electronics, art sets and science kits) and complete an optional bonus challenge in June for an additional entry.
“The idea is just to make the summer reading challenge fun, and to provide an additional incentive for reading,” the library spokesperson explained. Funds for prizes offered through the reading challenge program were donated by Window World of Orlando.
A recent study by the University of Florida and University of London, surveying participants aged 15 and older, found that daily reading for pleasure in the U.S. declined nearly 40 percent from 2003 to 2023, amid cultural and economic shifts.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, just 14 percent of U.S. 13-year-olds reported reading for fun every day in 2023, compared to 27 percent of 13-year-olds who reported daily reading for fun in 2012. Thirty-one percent of 13-year-olds reported never or hardly ever reading for fun in 2023, compared to 22 percent of 13-year-olds in 2012.
To participate in the Orange County Library System 30-day reading challenge, you must be an Orange County resident and have a library card. You can sign up for a library card (free) online or in-person at a county library location. Just bring an ID card or other approved form of documentation that offers proof of address, such as a utility bill or property tax receipt.
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